


we're inevitable

by orphan_account



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Male Character, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Jack Needs a Hug, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Burn, and davey isn't out yet, based on my own experiences, but i hope i can make it somewhat accurate, but only minor in the later chapters, davey also needs a hug, jack doesn't really want to admit he's bi, there is a sexuality crisis, which i know is an overused trope in lgbt media
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23605264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Jack Kelly had never really had time for normal high school. He had been running around for most of his life, never sitting in a place long enough to make friends or good grades. There was always a new school, a new family, a new curriculum to get used to- in a word, it was a bit overwhelming. The thing was, Jack wasn’t stupid. He was witty, streetsmart, and passionate- he was just… behind. In an attempt to be able to be more studious, Jack enlisted the help of Davey Jacobs, a classmate and tutor. When their professional relationship turns to friendship, Jack has no idea how to proceed. He’s especially lost when those friendly feelings turn into something much, much more. How does Jack Kelly, a notorious punk with a “tragic backstory” and the emotional scars to prove it, navigate being a normal highschool student, finding friends, and finding love?
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! this is my first ever newsies fic, despite me being in the fandom for about four years now. 
> 
> i love these characters, and love being able to translate their struggles into a modern universe- so i hope you all enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2445  
> Warnings: brief depictions of violence (school fights)

The sound of Jack’s alarm going off was enough to pull him from his deep, dreamless slumber. The ringing had gotten steadily louder as he lay on his side, too drowsy to be bothered to turn it off, but soon, he heard a light knocking at his door, and the voice of his foster mom coming through the door. “Jack, you awake? Breakfast is almost done.”

“Yeah, yep, I’m up, I’m up,” He grumbled as he slowly pushed himself to sit up in the bed. 

“You best be, hunny. You don’t want to be late on your first day!” 

Oh, right. First day. Fuck.

Jack rubbed his forehead and groaned. It was his first day of senior year, at the seventh school he had been enrolled in within the past three years. To say the least, Jack had been dreading this day all summer- especially since Medda had dragged his ass out of bed to bring him to the school about two weeks prior. She had dressed the part of a mother, and had fondly chastised Jack for wearing ripped, paint-stained jeans and a back t-shirt. She was clearly the one who was trying to impress the administration, while Jack was a bit more standoffish. Sure, it was a good school, but Jack hadn’t exactly had a very good relationship with the public education system.

The school had been a bit apprehensive about accepting his transfer papers, with good reason, of course. Jack didn’t exactly have the best record, and, well… He didn’t look the part of someone who would really care about his education or the institution he was attending, and truthfully, he didn’t. He had moved around so much that it was hard to care about something he didn’t understand. With every school he went to, the curriculum was that much different, that much harder. He would be ahead of everyone at one school, but chapters behind the rest of his class at another. He had tried to follow along, tried to learn the material, tried to give a shit- but all of his attempts had resulted in another failed grade, another 'F' on his transcript.

Needless to say, he wasn’t exactly overjoyed about the thought of going to this new school.

It wasn’t amazing or anything, just your average run-of-the-mill public school, but it was a lot bigger than the ones he had previously gone to, and was in a slightly better part of the city, too. That thought made him feel like his heart would pound right out of his chest. He had been used to the bad parts of town. The students were rough, and he had been dragged into a few too many fights at some points, but that was what he knew best. That survival instinct, the one that told him he needed to watch his back at all times, the one that told him to run at the first sign of bad trouble. It was the one that kept him safe, kept him guarded. At those schools, there had never been a chance for friends- just allies to aide you the next time some asshole decided to punch you in the face. 

But this school was different. It was all white walls, anti-bullying campaigns, and “Say No To Drugs” reminders in the announcements. It was a huge courtyard and a big cafeteria and more clubs and organizations than Jack really cared to learn about. It was everything he had never been used to before, wrapped into one. The students, he remembered, would be pretty mixed. There were the poor kids, the upper class kids, and the group of fuckers that would drive their expensive cars to school everyday. It had the nerds and the jocks and the band geeks, but it was all… mixed. The captain of the dance team played the snare drum in the band. The star football player was in the running to be valedictorian. The goth kids were popular on Instagram. It was the kind of highschool that you would expect to see in an underground indie movie. 

Jack didn’t really enjoy those kinds of movies. He didn’t really fit in with that “indie scene” that the school had going on, either. Where do you stick the new kid with the tragic backstory? The artsy kids were all way different than him- more open, more flamboyant, more colorful. The “bad kids” were all dicks, and Jack would rather fight them than join them. Just because he was a tough guy didn’t mean he fit in with the pricks.

But, he did make a promise to Medda that he would be on his best behavior and would at least try to make a friend, and if there was one thing Jack was consistent at, it was keeping his promises. Medda had done too much for him, and he was scared to disappoint her. She had been a constant in his life. No matter what foster home he had gone to, no matter what side of the city he was on, whenever he needed anyone, he always found his way back to her theater. It had given him a sanctuary, a place to get away from the foster system, away from the stress and the fear and the heartbreak.

Medda had given him a home far before she applied to be his foster mother.

“Jack, hunny, come on, get up. Breakfast is done, baby.” Medda called through the door, and Jack grinned to himself at the sound of her incessant tapping. He made a noise as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head while walking to his closet. Seriously, whoever decided that school needed to start at 8:20 in the morning needed to go to hell and never come back.

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. He just needed coffee.

It was a meager forty minutes later when Jack walked along the sidewalk at the front of his new school, staring down at his schedule. He was pretty pleased with his schedule- there was nothing too hard, but it was still a bit stressful, considering he wasn’t very skilled in the “retaining valuable education” department. 

He looked up and glanced around, taking in the atmosphere with a deep breath. There were teens everywhere. A few sat along the handrail going up the steps to the front of the building. A group of people gravitated to sit in the grass underneath a tree off to the side. Kids were hugging their friends and talking about their summer vacations or their jobs or new schedules, and though it was nice seeing that, it made Jack feel… jealous, maybe. Sad? Perhaps.

His summer vacation was spent moving from Brooklyn to Manhattan, from a shithole of a foster home on the bad side of the city to Medda’s large apartment building overlooking some of the best sights in New York. It had been a bit of a cultural whiplash. Medda had worked in the theater industry all her life, and had made a name for herself long before she ever met Jack. For a long time, he had called her theater a home, helping make sets or painting props with the crew, but now, he had an actual home with her. He had a bedroom, his own bathroom, and even a studio where he could paint all day- something he had never really had before.

God, he wished he was at home painting. He already wanted to leave this place and classes hadn’t even begun.

Just on time, the bell rang, signalling that everyone had five minutes to get to their class. Jack made his way into the large building, and after about a minute of searching, he walked into the classroom. It was large, with big windows and about thirty desks, which was more than Jack had ever seen in a classroom. He noticed that not many kids were in yet, but even so, Jack took a seat way at the back of the class, grabbing a notebook and a pencil out of his bag.

As he waited for the bell to ring, Jack doodled absently in the margins of the first page of his notebook. It sounded cliche, but art had always been his release. It was the way that he could pour out all of his feelings, whether it was bored doodles or melancholy paintings done at three in the morning. Art had been there for him when nothing else was. 

Jack had already kind of zoned out, drawing an eye in the bottom corner of his page, when a voice sounded from next to him. “Hey, uhh, this seat taken?”

Jack blinked and looked up, and was met with a boy with a smiling face. He had freckles and messy, reddish brown hair- but what Jack noticed first was the crutch under his right arm. Immediately, Jack nodded and moved his bag out of the aisle. “Yeah, nah, go head. I don’t bite,” Jack said with a chuckle, watching the other kid sit down next to him. “Uh, the name’s Jack, by the way.”

The boy glanced over at him with an impish grin, running a hand through his hair before nodding and digging some supplies out of his bag. “Charles, but everyone here calls me Crutchie,” He said, looking back at Jack. At his look of surprise, he smirked. “Don’t worry, I started the nickname myself. It ain’t rude or nothin’, not to me it ain’t. Call me what ya want,” He said with a shrug.

Jack nodded slowly, a grin spreading across his face. “That’s one hell of a nickname ya got there.”

“Ehh, sure. Little morbid, maybe, but ‘least no one can call me nothin’ behind my back,” The boy- Crutchie- said with a smile, and Jack couldn’t help the soft laugh that spilled from his lips.

They talked to each other until the bell rang, and after class, Crutchie invited Jack to sit with him and his friends at lunch, an offer that Jack graciously took. And he was damn glad he did, too. Even a month later, Jack had his very own seat at the table with a bunch of misfits. There were a lot of them, too- Crutchie, Race, Albert, Specs, Romeo, and a few others that occasionally floated in depending on the day. A lot of them had similar backgrounds to Jack, too- poor, underprivileged, orphaned, or simply just a bit rough around the edges. That lunch table had become a home, which was why Jack had been so comfortable around them. Comfortable enough to confide in them about his past and his struggles.

Especially when those struggles regarded his grades.

“Nah, nah, Crutch, it just-- it ain’t human! It ain’t somethin’ I’m ever gonna need to know--”

“Jack. Jack. Buddy. I know. We been through this before. Ya may not need algebra in real life, but ya need it to graduate.” Crutchie groaned and rubbed his forehead. He had been trying to help Jack with his math homework for a while now, but when it came to numbers, Jack was… hopeless. He didn’t understand math, didn’t see why the advanced shit was necessary, and the teacher he had wasn’t very good at teaching. 

Jack knew that Crutchie was right, though. His grades have never been amazing, and his transcript was a little bit all over the place because of how many times he had moved over the past few years, but this year was when it really counted. He wanted to go to university. He wanted to make something of himself, wanted to have the life that his parents never did. He wanted to learn from their mistakes.

He just really hoped it wasn’t too late.

With a deep sigh, Jack nodded, running a hand through his hair as he stared down at the textbook in front of him. He had a test tomorrow, one he couldn’t afford to fail, but it wasn’t looking too good. He had been stressed about this for days. It wasn’t as though he didn’t try- no, Jack really did try. He didn’t know how many times Medda had woken him up late at night where he had fallen asleep with his head on his math textbook on the kitchen table. How many times he had almost been driven to tears in class because he was so pissed at himself for not understanding anything.

“Hey, hey, Kelly,” Race piped up from behind him, gently nudging his shoulder with his fist. “You’ll be fine in no time, yeah? Maybe you need, ah… What’s them people called? They ain’t teachers, but they teach?”

“A tutor?” 

“That’s it! A tutor! Maybe all ya need’s a tutor,” Race said with an optimistic grin, glancing over at Crutchie for some support. Crutchie made a thoughtful noise, then hummed, nodding. 

“So, what, you’s all just gonna- gonna throw me to the wolves? A tutor? You guys think a tutor would work?” Jack asked incredulously, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that maybe they were right. He usually got help from his friends, but none of them were math geniuses either, though they were a lot better off than he was. 

It was definitely something he would consider. By the end of the day, Jack knew that it was the best bet. He walked through the halls after school, stopping at the bulletin board across from the office. Scanning across the different club announcements and reminders for homecoming, Jack finally found what he needed: the number to a tutor. He read the flyer for a moment, raising a brow. 

"David Jacobs. Senior. 4.0 GPA. Trained in ELA, Mathematics, American History, Government/Civil Studies, and Physics."

Jack hesitated as he took his phone out of his back pocket, adding the number below the description into his contacts. No one had to know that Jack Kelly was actually seeking a tutor, right? That would ruin his street cred.

At the same time, he really wanted to graduate with a good GPA. Columbia had an absolutely amazing art program, and an absolutely horrible acceptance rate.

Later that night, Jack was lying in his bed, staring at the number on the screen. He took a deep breath and pushed the “message” option, biting his lip as he typed out a message. Why was he nervous? It wasn’t like he was asking someone on a date, or asking someone to supply him a kidney for a transplant. Swallowing down his nerves, Jack nodded to himself, and flopped back against his pillows as he pressed send.

“Hey. This is Jack Kelly. I’m interested in your tutoring opportunity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you guys enjoyed this! this is my first ever newsies fic, and i hope it's,,, good?? idk. 
> 
> i'm planning on this being 6 chapters, but it may go over, who knows!! comment if ya like it!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack meets Davey.
> 
> Jack has feelings.
> 
> Jack doesn't know what to do with said feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2708  
> Warnings: mentions of homophobia, violence, implied past child ab*se, internalized homophobia.

Jack had forgotten about the text when he woke up that next morning. His alarm had gone off at seven, per usual, and he took maybe ten minutes to get ready before he finally made his way out of his room and toward the kitchen, where he could smell the sizzling bacon and sausage. When he rounded the corner, he saw Medda there, humming a tune as she cooked.

“Mornin’, miss,” Jack said in a gruff voice, rubbing his face as he sat at the dining room table. The kitchen and dining room had been one of Jack’s favorite features of the large apartment. It was strange, being in a place where his foster parent was actually well off, but Medda had never really flaunted her money aside from her home. The kitchen had a huge fridge, a dishwasher, and even an island in the middle of it. There were cabinets and marble countertops and a large sink, and was decorated with blacks and soft blue colorings to it. Medda had always kept her apartment spotless and had a natural eye for decorating.

“Jack, hun, how many times do I gotta tell you to call me Medda or Momma before you get it through that thick skull ‘a yours?” She replied with a fond smile, placing a plate of food down in front of him. “What are your plans for today? You gonna hang with the boys after school, or should I expect ya at the theater?”

Jack looked up at her as he grabbed a fork, shrugging as he took a bite of eggs from his plate. He waited to reply, glancing at the wall before looking back at her. “I, uh… I dunno yet. Might just come back here ‘nd try to study,” Jack replied, suddenly remembering the message he had sent the previous night. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and turned it on, relieved to see a message reply from the number.

_From David: This is David. Message me when you’re free and tell me what you need to study. We can set something up for after school sessions._

Jack read the message a few times, paying close attention to the fee cost. Ten bucks per hour wasn’t bad, and Jack had some money saved up from his summer job and commissions he had done from the past month. “Hey, uh, Mi-- Medda,” Jack started, placing his phone on the table. “Uh, ‘member how you was saying my grades ain’t the best? Well, I… I found me a tutor,” He said slowly, picking at his food. It felt a bit weird to say it outloud. Jack never wanted to admit that he needed help with, well… anything. It wasn’t really his style.

“Really?” She asked with a look of surprise on her face, before smiling and walking closer, giving him a hug across the shoulders. “Well, I’m proud of ya, hun. Do good.”

They ate together until Jack had to go to school, which was only about four blocks away from the apartment building. He was grateful for the walk, for the alone time he got before having to face school. School wasn’t that bad anymore- mainly because he had a real group of friends now- but it was still stressful. He had been raised on fist fights and bruised knuckles, forged from his past into being a tough guy with a big heart, and it was still a struggle not to kick into his fight or flight response everyday.

And now, with the added stress of being a senior and trying to graduate, Jack didn’t know what he was going to do.

His morning went by pretty easily. He didn’t have much to do in his classes, which was nice, and it gave him time to talk to this guy- David- about meeting up/ The whole thing felt a little ridiculous, but they had agreed to meet up in the courtyard during lunch. Jack wasn’t too happy with that, as he would miss out on being with his friends, but one lunch wasn’t going to kill him.

As he sat in the back of his anatomy class, staring down at his finished notes, Jack idly thought about what this David guy would be like. He imagined a stereotypical nerd- sweater vest, thick glasses, maybe even a bow tie or a bowl cut- but he hadn’t seen anyone like that in his entire time of being at the school. Even so, there was no doubt that this guy probably wouldn’t be much fun. He was good at texting, and had even been a little funny over their few messages they had sent one another, but that wasn’t an indicator of anything more substantial. If he was a tutor, he was probably a stick in the mud.

He just really hoped he didn’t hate him.

As the bell rang, Jack sighed and stood up, grabbing his things before walking out of the class in the direction of the courtyard. He passed Race and Crutchie along the way, saying a simple “see you later” at their confused expressions. Once out the doors, he read the message again. David would be at the blue circle table under the oak tree. 

Looking up, he made eye contact with who he assumed to be David. He was at a blue circle table under an oak tree, so Jack figured it would be his best bet.

As he walked forward, he couldn’t help but size him up a bit. He was tall- taller than Jack- and was pretty lanky in stature. Thin and lean, with long arms and nice hands. He had shaggy, dark brown hair, but it was neat, kind of swooped down toward his forehead. His eyes were the most beautiful brown that Jack had ever seen, and he looked so… expressive. He wasn’t wearing the sweater vest that Jack had been expecting, either- no, he was wearing a white t-shirt with a blue plaid button up thrown over it, though he kept it unbuttoned and rolled the sleeves to his forearms. He had on dark blue jeans and white sneakers, and looked like a... normal dude.

Jack had to fight back a blush.

“Hey, uh, you David?” He called out as he approached the table, one hand gripping the strap of his bag as the other dug into his pockets. “I’m Jack,” He said after a moment, rocking on his heels before deciding to sit across the table from the other guy.

“Nice to meet you, Jack,” David said with a fond grin, hands clasped together as he rested his elbows against the table. “So. Algebra’s kicking you to the curb, huh?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” Jack responded with a bitter laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. He pulled his bag onto the seat next to him, bringing out his binder and textbook. “Can’t follow along for shit at th’ moment, really. I jus’... don’t understand any ‘a this,” Jack admitted with a soft sigh.

David nodded, looking at Jack with a sad grin. “Hey, man, math isn’t for everyone. Now you have me, so I’ll get you caught up in no time. Money back guarantee.”

“Really?”

“Nope. Sorry. I need this job.”

Jack couldn’t stop the soft laugh that bubbled up from his chest. As they continued talking, Jack felt increasingly happier. David had gone ahead and checked his work from the day before, the one that Cructchie and the guys had helped him on, and he gently helped Jack correct it, explaining it in a way that actually made a lot of sense. Jack could listen to David teach him all day. He had a soft but assertive voice, and just the barest hint of an accent, which made Jack so much more aware of his own. In a word, David’s voice was… beautiful.

But, all good things had to come to an end eventually. Jack sighed as the lunch bell rang, reluctantly closing his book. He hurried to put his things in his bag, watching David do the same with a soft grin. “Thanks for the help, Davey. Ya made it seem easy,” Jack murmured.

“Eh, that’s kinda my job… Wait a sec- ‘Davey’?” He asked with an amused look on his face, raising a brow.

“Huh?”

“You called me ‘Davey’.”

“I highly doubt that--”

“Nope, nope. You definitely did,” He said with a teasing grin and a playful glint in his eyes. “Don’t worry, I like it. See you around, Jackie,” David winked at him, slung his bag over his shoulder, and walked to the front entrance of the school, leaving a stunned Jack in his wake.

What the fuck was that?

Jack watched him leave, his heart pounding in his chest. That had just been… friendly teasing. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But, if that was the case, then why did Jack’s cheeks suddenly heat up?

Jack couldn’t think about anything else the entire day. When he walked through the halls to get to his classes, he found himself searching out for Davey, wondering if he could see him. He did spot him a few times, and one time, they smiled at each other and Jack felt butterflies in his stomach because, wow, Davey had a really pretty smile and his eyes scrunched up and and and--

And Jack was freaking out.

By the time the last bell rang, Jack was damn near shaking. He had never felt this way before. Sure, there had always been something nagging at him from the back of his mind, but it had never been anything like /this/. He bolted out of the front doors and hurried home. Medda would be at the theater until about eight, and had left him enough money to order a pizza, but Jack felt sick to his stomach.

He had never… felt like this about a guy. Well, that wasn’t exactly truth, but he had never /allowed/ himself to feel this way about a guy. He didn’t have a problem with it- hell, some of his best friends in the group liked guys- but when it came to himself, he couldn’t believe it. He didn’t want to believe it, but it had always been there, hadn’t it?

Suddenly, as Jack took a seat in the corner of the couch, his mind drifted back to when he was thirteen years old. He had a friend, a boy about a year older than him, who was everything Jack had wanted to be. He was on the football team, he was smart, he had friends, and at the time, Jack had thought he was really attractive. Only now did he realize that it wasn’t in the friend way. 

The more Jack thought about it, the more examples of these crushes he could bring to light. And the more examples he had, the more sick he felt. It got to the point where Jack leaned forward and rested his chin on his knees, rubbing his face and taking deep breaths. He liked girls, and had been with girls in the past, and he had liked that feeling a lot. If that was the case, then why was all of this happening all of a sudden? Why did he find himself attracted to his nerdy, lanky, kind, funny tutor?

Oh, this was bad. This was really, really bad.

Jack didn’t know how long he had been there on the couch, but when he woke up startled at the feeling of Medda’s hand on his shoulder, he knew he must have fallen asleep.. He looked up at her with wide, frantic eyes, taking in a deep breath. “Hey, hey, Jack, it’s just me, honey,” She whispered softly, running a hand through his hair with a deep frown. “Just me. Are… Why are you out here hm? You haven’t even changed out of your school clothes,” She observed, taking a seat next to him and wrapping a careful arm around his back. 

“I… I dunno,” Jack mumbled, which was an obvious lie. He tensed a bit at her touch, but slowly willed himself to relax, taking in a few deep breaths before hiding his face in his hands. “Medda, it’s all gone to shit--”

“Language.”

“Sorry,” He murmured sheepishly, looking down at his lap. Jack hesitated, before looking up at the ceiling. “I met with my- my tutor today,” He said softly, leaning into her side a bit more. It made him feel like a little kid again, sitting in his mother’s lap during the years before she passed.

“Oh? How’d it go, hm?” Medda asked, looking down at Jack as she began to rub his side. 

“It-- Alright,” He answered quickly. He felt the anxiety rise to his chest again, felt the words crawling at his throat, desperate to get out. He felt scared. Far more scared than he had ever been in his life. At his old schools, or even in his old foster homes, having any attraction toward men was considered a sin. It was an abomination. 

It was a quick way to get a fist to your face.

Unfortunately, Jack knew that Medda wasn’t going to be fooled that easily. “Jack,” she started gently, sitting up. She moved to where she was facing him, her elbow resting on the back of the couch. “You know you can talk to me, baby. Mama Medda’s right here,” She whispered, placing a gentle, reassuring hand on his shoulder.

There was nothing Jack could do to stop the floodgates.

He told her about everything. Everything from being brought up in a homophobic environment, to the way he liked girls, to the fact that a lot of his friends weren’t completely straight, and- finally- he told her about Davey. How he had just met the man but was already attracted to him. How he wanted to be his friend, wanted to make him smile, make him laugh, make him feel good and make him happy. He told her about the nicknames and the wink and how fucking /scared/ it all made him feel, and if she noticed the tears welling in his eyes, she sure didn’t say anything.

“I-- I just-- All my life, I’ve felt like somethin’ was- was /wrong/ with me, ‘cause I didn’t get the big deal ‘bout why it- why it wasn’t okay for me t’like guys, and-- and I--” Jack cut himself off with a shake of his head, biting his lower lip in an attempt to stop the tears from spilling over. He took in a deep, shaky breath and wiped his eyes. He had never felt so scared, so worried, so… horrified at himself.

When he finally calmed down a bit, Medda took in a deep breath, gently squeezing his shoulder. “Baby,” She consoled, before gently, slowly pulling him in for a hug. “There ain’t nothing wrong with you, Jack. Nothing, you here? I know this is hard. It’s a lot to take in, and you’ve been dealing with this for a while now, but… just know that it doesn’t mean anything’s gotta change, honey. Your friends’ll still love you, no matter what, and you know what? I do too. You’re okay. This is okay,” She whispered softly, holding onto Jack.

He wasn’t proud to admit that he had cried for a long time after hearing that, refusing to let go of Medda. He felt like a scared little kid all over again, but as the worry left his chest and the tears slowly came to a halt, Jack felt about twenty pounds lighter. He felt like he could breathe again, for the first time in a long time.

He and Medda spent their time after that eating dinner (which happened to be sugary cereal) before Jack finally let the mental exhaustion take over. He said goodnight and gave Medda a huge hug, before walking to his room to lie down for the night.

Jack was lying down in his dark room, just barely starting to drift off, when he saw his phone’s notification light turn on. Slowly, he reached out to grab the phone, turning it on to read the message.

_From David: I had a lot of fun at lunch today. Up for another session tomorrow after school?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack has a dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2725  
> Warnings: None.

The dream came after just a few weeks of tutoring. 

It was nice. Jack could remember a field, far away from the big city they lived in. There were mountains and a pond and flowers and moonlight shining down. The stars were out in all of their glory, and though the darkness had taken over the sky, the light from above illuminated the surrounding land.

There had been a kiss. Jack remembered lying on his back in that grassy field, talking nonsense to someone lying beside him. First, the kiss had been pressed right below his earlobe, before whoever it was had begun trailing kisses down his neck, up his jaw, and finally stopping with a light kiss to his lips that soon turned into much, much more. It was… domestic. Sweet. Slow, and caring, and /perfect/.

Jack remembered a hand coming up to cup his cheek. Another took hold of his own hand and their fingers intertwined immediately. 

Jack remembered flipping over. Straddling a pair of slim hips as he stared down at a boy with brown eyes and dark hair. A boy with a smile that could light up a room, with a long nose and eyes that scrunched up when he grinned. A boy with the most gorgeous body, with long limbs and big hands and arms that were meant to hold him, meant to wrap around his waist and never let go. 

A boy who looked suspiciously like Davey.

Somewhere far away from the dream, an alarm went off.

Jack didn’t remember anything else as he sat up in bed, staring at the wall in that dark room for almost five minutes. As he took in a deep, shuddering breath, Jack shook his head and swung his feet over the side of his bed while rubbing his face with both hands. He sat like that for a while, elbows perched on his knees, head held on his palms, until he heard the familiar tapped tune on his door.

That whole morning, Jack had felt out of whack. He had been zoning out more often, his mind seeming to always drift back to Davey. They hadn’t hung out much, but in the weeks that Davey had been tutoring him, their sessions had gotten longer and longer- though most of the extra time had just been spent talking and telling stories and getting to know each other, though Jack usually took the backseat on the conversation, listening to Davey more than anything. Jack had met Davey’s family, too, even stayed for dinner one night the previous week, so Jack assumed it was safe to say that they had crossed the threshold into “friendship” territory.

The only problem was that Jack wanted to be more than that. 

Throughout their ‘tutoring sessions,’ Jack had learned a lot about Davey. He learned that he was passionate about writing and government, learned that he had always dreamed of attending university and making a name for himself. He learned that he was Jewish, learned that he often took care of his younger brother, and learned that he did tutoring just to have a little more money to help out around the house. And with each passing session, Jack found himself falling harder and harder.

He had been thinking about that the whole day. Thinking about Davey, about their friendship, about what he wanted to learn about him, what he wanted to do to him. Even the guys at lunch had noticed something was off about Jack, but Jack just brushed them off, stating that he needed to focus on an essay or some other excuse that he really couldn’t remember making. They had left him alone for the rest of the day, thankfully, but Jack had a feeling his privacy wouldn’t last long. 

He and Crutchie walked together after school that day. Crutchie had been talking, and Jack had been responding- but he honestly couldn’t tell you anything that Crutchie had been saying. And Crutchie had noticed, too. Jack wasn’t good at hiding- he had a faraway look in his eyes, and his mind had been running for hours. He seemed preoccupied about something, and Crutchie had a suspicious feeling he knew what it was about.

“Y’know, Jack, I made out with a gal last week.”

“Mhm.”

“She liked the crutch, too. Thought it was hot. Thought /I/ was hot.”

“Mhm.”

“Yup. Too bad she’s datin’ David Jacobs.”

“That’s ni--”

All of a sudden, Jack came to a staggering stop in the middle of the sidewalk

He turned and looked at Crutchie with wide eyes, gulping and fidgeting with the strap tightener on his bag. “Davey has a girl?” He asked, trying to be casual about it, but from the smug look on Crutchie’s face, he knew he had failed.

“I dunno,” Crutchie said with a shrug. “Just thought that’d be a good way t’get your attention. An’ it worked, didn’t it?” Crutchie noted. He looked at Jack with a raised brow, before giving him a gentle smile. “Y’ain’t been the same since y’started hangin’ around that guy,” He said softly. “You’s been smilin’ and lookin’ for him in the cafeteria ‘n’ stuff like that… Jackie, tell me the truth, do ya like him?”

Jack only stared at him, his face flushing with every passing second. He gulped and glanced away. Crutchie had noticed it, so there was no use in trying to deny it. And if Crutchie noticed, then so did the other guys, probably. He took in a deep breath, glancing down at the sidewalk as they started moving on again. “I… I had a dream,” Jack said slowly, clearing his throat. “‘Bout Davey. And… And he was kissin’ me. Like- like full on kissin’ me, man. I, uh… I been havin’ a lotta those dreams lately,” Jack admitted with a sigh. 

“Why didn’ ya tell us? Or at least me?” Crutchie asked quietly, gently nudging Jack’s leg with his crutch. “I coulda helped ya, y’know.”

“I know, I know, I jus’... I don’t know. I got nervous, can ya blame me?” Jack asked defensively, shrugging his shoulders and putting his hands in his pockets. “I still ain’t sure… what’s goin’ on. I- I ain’t never liked a dude, Crutch. This whole thing- it’s all new t’me. I was… scared y’all would judge me or somethin’.”

“You /do/ know Race and Spot are together, right?”

“Well, duh! Did ya forget who found them makin’ out in your bathroom?”

“No, no- my point is… I mean- why would we treat ya any different than them?” Crutchie pointed out, looking at Jack with a soft frown. “Ya coulda told us, man. But… But I ain’t gonna tell no one, yeah? Not ‘till you wanna,” He assured.

That one sentence made Jack feel so much better about the entire . He would tell them about it in good time, for sure, but he was still confused about what “it” was. He didn’t really want to think about it, and knew that he’d figure it out soon enough, but he had bigger things to worry about.

Like the fact that he was meeting Davey in an hour and was going to see him for the first time since the dream.

Jack dropped Crutchie off at his place, then raced through the streets of Manhattan, reaching the apartment building in record timing. He wasn’t going to dress up for this session or anything, but considering the last time Jack had met Davey’s folks he was wearing paint-stained jeans and an old hoodie with a rip in it, he figured it would just be common courtesy to clean up a little bit.

After changing into something a bit nicer- just some black jeans and a dark blue t-shirt- Jack grabbed his books and began the walk to Davey’s place. On the way over, Jack couldn’t stop replaying the events of the dream. They had kissed. That was a clear indicator that the friend thing wasn’t really working out in Jack’s favor.

He forced himself to stop thinking about it as he walked up the steps to Davey’s floor, taking in a deep breath before knocking on the door.

Just moments later, The door opened, and Jack’s heart momentarily stopped as he laid eyes on Davey’s smiling face. “Jack, come on in,” He said quickly, sidestepping as Jack made his way through the doorway. He had been over here a few times before, usually occupying the kitchen table with Davey, but he would never get over the homey feel of the apartment. It was nice and clean, but it looked lived in. Everything had a place, even if that was a box of legos underneath the coffee table or a random action figure in between the plants on the windowsill. Everytime he walked into their home, he felt bright and alive.

He glanced around, his eyes landing on the kitchen table where they were supposed to be working, but from the looks of it, it was occupied. There were bags of old books and photo albums and magazines spread across the expanse of the table, along with a large tub of books resting just underneath it. Jack glanced over at Davey with a curious smile. “S’goin’ on in there?”

Davey glanced at the table as he locked the door, a sheepish smile on his face. “My ma found a ton of stuff from when my sister and I were a kid. She’s going through it all, which… might actually take a while. She’s gotta figure out what’s worth keeping, but she’s a sentimental woman,” He explained with a chuckle. “Uh, we can work in my room if you want. That way we won’t be interrupted.”  
Jack’s eyes widened a bit at the offer, but he slowly nodded, stepping back and smiling at Davey. “Lead the way.”

He walked through the living room and followed Davey down the hall, glancing around. There were family photos hanging up, as well as a few awards plastered along the wall, and Jack knew he would definitely have to check them out one day, but not now. Not when he was following Davey into his room.

He didn’t really know what he was expecting, but what he saw was not it. He walked in, glancing around. There was a large bed, a desk with a computer on it, and a dresser with a TV on it on the other side of the room. He had almost expected to see nerdy action figures or weird superhero posters lining the walls, but instead, there were a few shelves hung up with plants, as well as some books, ranging from Shakespeare's sonnets to American literary classics. Jack was almost impressed, until he remembered that this was Davey. He had always been a little more sophisticated anyway. 

“This is real nice, Dave,” Jack said genuinely, looking at him with a grin. He watched as Davey sat on his bed, opting out of sitting next to him in favor of bringing the rolling chair in the corner over closer to him. “Not as nerdy as I was expectin’, though.”

Davey barked out a laugh and rolled his eyes, and Jack felt his heart skip a beat. “You think I’m a nerd?”

“Well, which one of us is the tutor here? Hm?”

“Intelligence doesn’t equate nerdiness. I can have a 4.0 and still like normal things--”

“Okay, math homework, yeah?” Jack said with a smirk, taking off his bag. He rummaged through it for a moment before bringing out his notes and his textbook, and the two instantly got to work. 

The two of them spent about an hour going over the material, and by the end of it, Jack had successfully completed the work by himself. They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, before Davey sucked in a breath, leaning back to lounge on his side at the foot of the bed. “Tell me about yourself.”

Jack raised a brow, looking up from the textbook in his lap. He was still in the chair facing Davey, his feet propped up on the bed. “Huh?”

“Tell me about yourself,” Davey repeated with a grin, propping his chin up on his hand. “You know a lot about me, but… I wanna know who Jack Kelly is. So, like… what do you do in your free time? What’s your family like? Do you have any pets? Stuff like that,” He elaborated.

Jack couldn’t stop the blush from rising to his cheeks, but he grinned and shrugged. It was nice, knowing that Davey was interested in learning more about him. “Uh… Well,” He started, rubbing the back of his neck, “I like paintin’. That’s pretty fun. I, uh, paint sets for plays’n stuff sometimes, or at least help out with the process. My-- My foster mom, she owns a youth theater, so… I help out there. She’s, uh, kinda the only ‘family’ I got,” Jack admitted with a nervous laugh. “She ain’t too fond’a pets, but when I was a kid, I had a cat. Well-- I took care of a cat. He was a stray, real scraggly and busted up ‘n shit, but we were buds,” He murmured with a grin.

Jack glanced back at Davey, and gulped as he saw the fond smile on his face. He seemed genuinely interested, but wasn’t saying much, so Jack took that as his cue to go on. “I, uh… I been in foster care for, hm, ‘bout five years? Since I was twelve,” He explained. “It’s been… rough, movin’ around a bunch, ‘cause I ain’t been to many good schools. I’m sure you hear the rumors at school. I ain’t been in any knife fights, contrary t’popular belief,” Jack smiled, pausing when Davey let out a soft laugh. God, he could listen to that laugh all day. “But.. I’m glad I’m where I am now.”

“I am, too,” Davey said quietly, before biting his lip. “Glad, I mean. Glad that you came to our school,” He explained further, and Jack wasn’t sure if it was the lighting or if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he could have sworn he saw Davey blush. “And I haven’t heard anything like that, y’know. I heard you almost got in a fist fight because someone was rude to Crutchie, but I haven’t heard about any knife fights,” He chuckled, slowly sitting back up.

They made eye contact, and Jack could feel time stop. There was nothing else that mattered at that moment. Not his grades, not his past, nothing- just the way Davey was gazing at him like he was... the most beautiful sunset ever seen. Like he was a work of art, a carefully crafted sculpture. Not some scrappy teen from deep within the streets of New York. They stayed like that for a few moments, just staring at each other, until Davey’s mom called from the kitchen and jolted them out of their moment.

Davey laughed nervously and shot Jack an apologetic grin, but Jack shook his head, letting out an amused huff. “Nah, it’s fine-- I, uh, I should probably get goin’, though- My ma probably has dinner ready,” Jack said as he grabbed his bag, glancing up at Davey. “But, uh, I-- I’ll see you around?” He asked as he stood, pushing the chair back to its original spot.

“Huh? Oh- Yeah! Yeah, totally, yep, sounds good,” Davey rushed out, and hurried to the door. He opened it and looked back at Jack, pausing. “...I had a lot of fun, y’know. Maybe… I don’t know. Maybe we could, uh, hang out sometime? Uh- without the textbooks?” He asked softly, and Jack felt his cheeks heat up as he nodded.

“Yeah. Yeah, that- that sounds cool,” Jack grinned. He followed Davey out of the room, and after saying goodbye to the rest of Davey’s family, he started on his way home.  
The sun was beginning to go down, falling behind the New York skyline, with not a cloud in the sky. The chilly autumn air provided a nice wake-up call as he walked down the sidewalk, smiling idly at the ground as he made his way through the backstreets back home.

That night, as Jack drifted off to sleep, his dreams were once again filled with the beautiful boy that had started it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope this is a good update !! i just. really wanted some cute Davey time in this !! along with supportive crutchie bc he's jack's best bro ever
> 
> requests for drabbles are open! go find me on tumblr: @we-are-inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> ooookay that's chapter one!! i have plans for this to be six chapters, but that may very well go over- i'm not sure yet. this is my very first chapter fic, but it's all planned out so it should be posted soon!
> 
> if you liked this, leave a comment! i didn't really get into a whole lot of detail with Jack's backstory like i wanted to, but that'll come in some later chapters! also- i did proofread this, and i'm sure there are still mistakes, but i'll go back and fix em soon!


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